Amazon Could Be Moving Into Airtasker's Space

Amazon is reportedly planning to launch an online platform providing local services, much like what Australian startup Airtasker is starting to do, providing a community which matches odd jobs like car washing or picking up a package, with someone willing to do the work.

Airtasker co-founder and COO Jono Lui told Business Insider there was a market in most countries for a services platform.

While the startup is looking at the US as one potential growth market, growing a solid user base in Australia is what it’s currently focussing on.

“For us it’s definitely Australia first but we are looking at a lot of different other geographies that would make sense for us,” he said.

And while Amazon are yet to comment on the services expansion reports, Lui said it would create a new set of challenges for the Australian startup.

“They [Amazon] definitely have a lot of resources, a big team and a lot of connections,” he said, adding if they’re moving into the online services space in the same way they facilitated moving products online it provides validation for the startup’s vision.

“I think there definitely will be a player in each geography, whether that player will become a global, the number one globally, that’s yet to be seen,” Lui said.

Reuters reports Amazon has in the past few months reached out to a number of US based startups which already connect service providers with jobs and are reportedly experimenting with ways to expand into the space.

“Lucky for us they’re not coming to Australia right now, it would make it difficult, more difficult but at the same time competition spurs innovation,” Lui said.